The best game of Semi-Final day at the FHSAA Championship Weekend was the Timber Creek vs. Bartram Trail game. The second of the four game extravaganzas gave everyone their money’s worth; complete with back and forth scoring, scoring surges by both teams, never more than a three goal lead, and action that lasted right down to the final tick of the clock. Jane Ruede gave Bartram Trail the lead: 59 seconds of the game but no lead was safe as both of these teams have kids that can put the ball in the net. Just over two minutes later Courtney Alexander tied it up for the Wolves.  Ellie Yenor, the 5’11’ sophomore superstar for Timber Creek, scored her first of the day 10 seconds later.  Alexis Von Dyke followed that up and Timber Creek had a two-goal lead. The two teams traded goals back and forth for the rest of the half with Timber Creek opening up a three goal lead with 3:46 left in the first half but Bartram Trail worked it back down to a 7-6 difference by half-time. Ellie Yenor would lead first half scorers with four goals in the half.  B.T.’s Ruede, Beggs, and Coates each scored 2 for Bartram Trail. Timber Creek’s Courtney Alexander added her two goals to Von Dyke’s score for Timber Creek. Lauren Hutzel wasted no time tying the game up in the first two minutes of the second half and then giving the Bears their first lead of the game since the opening minutes. Haleigh Brooks started a four goal run for the Wolves which included two from her, one from Alexander and another from Yenor to stretch the lead to three with 15:02 to go. The teams traded goals by Ruede and Yenor and with 9:29 left in the game Casey Coates took matters into her hands.  She Coates scored the next two goals for Bartram Trail to bring the Bears to within one.  Brooks answered back for the Wolves getting the lead back to two goals with 6:07 remaining. Hutzel scored again to cut the lead to one with 5:09.  Casey Coates finished the job scoring twice tying the game with 4:01 and then the game winner at the 2:49 mark. It was an amazing effort by two teams with some true superstars.  Ellie Yenor is a special player.  The sophomore scored over 100 regular season points scored six goals in the biggest game of the year.  Courtney Alexander finished the game with 3 goals and 3 assists for the Wolves, Haleigh netted a hat trick, and Lauren Sherry showed some amazing speed down the field and dished off a pair of assists for the Wolves. For the Bears Lauren Hutzel and Jane Ruede both scored hat tricks and Caroline Beggs added two goals and an assist.  But the star of the game was Casey Coates who not only scored six goals for Bartram Trail but scored them when they needed them the most.  Tying the game and adding the game winner to give her team a chance to play for all the marbles as they take on one of the most dominant teams in Florida sports, the Vero Beach girls’ lacrosse team. That championship game will take place tonight at West Orange High School at 5:05. Feature photo courtesy of Gary W. Green of the Orlando Sentinel